Applied Behavior Analysis Commons^™

Spiritual Practices In Survivor Care: A Qualitative Analysis Of Christian Faith-Based Shelters And Survivor Well-Being, Jeanne L. Allert

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Christian faith-based organizations constituted a significant proportion of shelter programs for survivors of sex trafficking in the United States, with an estimated 63% identifying as Christian-affiliated (Institute for Survivor Care, 2024). Despite their prevalence, such programs often elicited skepticism due to the rise of secularism (Pew Research, 2022) and concerns that spiritual programming might retraumatize survivors (Ahrens et al., 2010; Hodge, 2020). However, Ahrens et al. (2010) and Hodge (2020) also found that religious practices can be helpful. This qualitative study employed a trauma-informed, descriptive survey design to explore the experiences of 158 trafficking survivors, who had either resided in …

Religious Beliefs, Cooperation, And Evolutionary Mechanisms, Nicole Fellice Ko, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Religion is an organized system of spiritual beliefs, practices, and rituals that often involve a sense of the divine (Schilbrack, 2022). An evolutionary mechanism is an evolved set of traits that interpret environmental inputs and generate behavioral responses that enhance survival or reproductive success (Li et al., 2018). Cooperation refers to the act of individuals or groups working together to achieve a shared goal or mutual benefit (Alós-Ferrer & Garagnani, 2020).

Emotional Eating Behaviors And Parental Feeding Practices In Three-Year-Old Children And Their Association With Body Composition One Year Later, Keely Wright, Kenia Rivera, Elysia Poggi Davis

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

Emotional eating – eating in response to negative emotions regardless of hunger – is an obesogenic trait that often develops in childhood and remains a habit through adulthood. Greater emotional eating is associated with a higher body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) in 7-12-year-old children (Webber et al., 2009). However, few studies have examined the relations between emotional eating and weight gain in preschool-aged children. Moreover, there is limited research on parental feeding practices and weight gain in preschool-aged children. The current work investigated the association of emotional eating behaviors during an emotional eating task in three-year-old children with change in …

Benefits Of Extended Unemployment Insurance On Post-Unemployment Outcomes, Alyssa Roche

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates how unemployment insurance (UI) affects individuals during and after unemployment. Drawing on historical evidence from recent recessions in the United States, publicly available data, behavioral insights, and mathematical modeling, it argues that the benefits of extending UI outweigh the potential costs. The analysis incorporates a wide range of sources, including empirical economic studies using regression models and psychology and business research that highlight behavioral responses to financial stress and job insecurity. By combining quantitative data with behavioral context, the thesis offers a more comprehensive understanding of how extended UI influences job search decisions, wage outcomes, and overall …

Enhancing Mental Health Through Mind-Body Exercises In Sedentary Students: A Systematic Review With An Indonesian Perspective, Izmi Alya Khairunnisa, Aditya Denny Pratama

Jurnal Sosial Humaniora Terapan

Sedentary Behavior (SB) among students is associated with increased risks of depression, anxiety, stress, and weakened immune function. According to the WHO, SB contributes to approximately two million deaths each year. This systematic literature review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of mind-body exercises in improving mental health outcomes—specifically stress reduction, anxiety management, and emotional regulation—among students with sedentary lifestyles. Using the PRISMA framework, 2,201 articles were identified from databases including Scopus, PubMed, and ProQuest, with six studies meeting the inclusion criteria. The review found that mind-body exercises such as yoga, tai chi, and pilates significantly reduce stress and anxiety, enhance …

Exposure To Different Motives Of Scientists Moderates Responses To Scientific Consensus: The Case Of Cultured Meat, Kimin Eom, Bryan Kwok Cheng Choy

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This research examines how exposure to different motives of scientists affects the impact of scientific consensus on public attitudes toward cultured meat. While scientific consensus on the safety of cultured meat generally increased positive attitudes toward it, this effect depended on information about scientists’ motives. Exposure to information about scientists’ financial motives weakened the positive effect of scientific consensus because it undermined trust in scientists. Information about scientists’ prosocial motives did not influence the scientific consensus effect. These findings suggest that perceived motives can shift trust in experts, thereby affecting the influence of experts on public attitudes.

Conducting Background Checks In The Corporate Security Environment, Alan Saquella

Publications

In the current threat landscape, the background check has become a critical frontline defense in protecting corporate assets, brand integrity and personnel safety. But as any security leader will tell you, the traditional background check — focused on criminal history, employment verification and references — has limitations, especially in today’s regulatory environment.

Federal and state restrictions continue to erode the depth and scope of what can be legally reviewed, and meanwhile, insider threats and deceptive candidates are becoming more sophisticated. In this context, it's no longer about whether to conduct background checks — it's about how to conduct them effectively, …

Bridging The Gap: Exploring The Intersection Of Formal Mental Health Services And Informal Social Supports In Bipoc Communities, Patrice D. Patton-Campbell

Dissertations

Despite growing awareness of mental health disparities, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities continue to face significant barriers in accessing culturally responsive mental health care. This dissertation explores the intersection between formal mental health services and informal social supports such as family, religious institutions, and community networks to understand which systems are more trusted, accessible, and effective for BIPOC individuals. Grounded in Urban Liberation Psychology and guided by decolonial and culturally responsive care frameworks, this qualitative study draws from focus groups and interviews with 33 participants, including both community members and service providers from the Chicagoland area and …

Assessment Of Children's Preference For Differentially Signaled Variable Ratio, Signaled Variable Ratio, And Fixed Ratio Schedules Of Reinforcement, Todd M. Owen

Posters and Presentations: Munroe-Meyer Institute

No abstract provided.

Visitor Experience Model At The Marian Shrine Of La Vang, Younghee Lee, Hyo Dan Cho

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This research explores tourists’ experiences at La Vang in Vietnam. La Vang as a place of Catholic Marian apparition, is a sacred pilgrimage site that holds great religious significance for Catholics. This study employs both qualitative and quantitative methodologies to develop a model of the visitor’s experiences at La Vang. The initial qualitative study involved in-depth interviews and participant observation. Subsequently, the findings of the qualitative study were validated in the second quantitative study, which involved 75 surveys with residents of Macau who visited La Vang. This study proposes seven key scales measuring tourists’ experiential aspects at the sacred place. …

Forensic Psychology Of Serial Killers, Karla Suarez

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

Many serial killers share patterns in psychological and neuropsychological disorders and behaviors. These behaviors and patterns should be recognized and acknowledged to understand why serial killers murder without remorse or guilt. It is important to discuss matters such as common patterns, typologies, and characteristics within serial killers. After looking at these essential aspects of serial killers, common neurodevelopmental disorders, brain damage, and biological epigenetics will be further explored. In order to fully assess this topic, forensic psychology and behavioral analysis are essential to aid in understanding serial killers and how their brains function to lead them to the actions that …

Dance/Movement Therapy Interventions That Can Address And Decrease Impacts Of Developmental Prosopagnosia: A Literature Review, Caitlin Rivenbark

Expressive Therapies Theses

This literature review explores dance/movement therapy (DMT) as a treatment modality for developmental prosopagnosia (DP) or face blindness. Research on DP causes and assessments are limited, as well as research on treatments and supportive management. In order to conceptualize how DMT might support people with DP, this paper focuses on mitigating the impacts of having the condition by exploring treatments for conditions with similar impacts including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and social anxiety disorder (SAD). The interventions included were pharmacotherapy, behavioral contingencies, mainstream therapies, and alternative therapies including DMT and drama therapy (DT). The various …

Varied Versus Non-Varied Behavior-Specific Praise On Student On-Task Behavior, Jessica Boss

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The current study examined the effects of praise statements on students’ behavior by assessing how varied and non-varied behavior-specific praise statements effect student on-task behavior. An alternating treatment design was used to compare the treatment conditions of varied and non-varied BSP. During baseline, participants were not given feedback on their praise statements or their interactions. After baseline, participants were taught to a mastery criterion on varied and non-varied BSP conditions. In the experimental phase, the participants alternated between a condition providing non-varied BSP and a condition providing varied BSP. The results of this study showed that both varied and non-varied …

Evaluating The Use Of Positive Self-Talk As An Antecedent Intervention For On-Task Behavior In Adolescents With Adhd, Sydney Setchel West

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of using positive self-talk statements to increase the on-task work behavior of students with ADHD who have low baseline levels of on-task work behavior. A multiple baseline design across two participants was used to assess the impacts of the intervention. During the baseline phase, on-task work behavior was measured for participants as they completed independent work. Following baseline, participants were removed from the classroom and recited 5-10 positive self-statements regarding their ability to focus on their work. Data were taken on the participants on-task work behavior after returning to their …

Adapting A Contingency Contract Across Environments For Interfering Behaviors And Coping Skills, Samantha N. Eckstein

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of taking an already successful contingency contract for an individual and adapting it to two separate environments to determine the effects on interfering behaviors and the utilization of coping skills. An AB design was utilized to allow for comparison of effects between conditions (i.e., control and treatment). The independent variable was the contingency contract(s) used across all settings and there were three dependent variable measures. These were the effects on interfering behaviors, skills demonstrated, and the utilization of coping skills. There is not enough evidence shown in the data to …

Grief As Slip: (How Little I Show) An Exploration In Clay, When Words Are Not Enough, Michelle A. Smith

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Grief as Slip (how little I show) implies that even as we acknowledge our mortality and the fleeting nature of life, we still only reveal a fraction of our true selves or our deeper realities. The ceramic artwork in this exhibition carries and conveys a journey through the present and remembered emotions of the artists’ personal narrative. By juxtaposing the tactile nature of clay with the ethereal quality of human experience, Smith contemplates the profound interplay between material transformation and emotional resilience. The exhibition’s intent is to translate the essence of complex emotional states into abstracted forms so they can …

Quiet Times: The Application Of Self-Management To Private Spiritual Practices, Noah R. Branson

Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal

A “quiet time” refers to the private spiritual practice of reading the Bible, praying, and meditating on one’s own initiative outside of religious sanctioned events. This study examines the effect of a self-management intervention on establishing and maintaining the habit of a daily quiet time. The study’s hypotheses predicted there would be an increase in quiet time 1) frequency, 2) duration, and 3) overall satisfaction from the baseline phase to the intervention phase. Data was collected via a daily check-in and pretest/posttest surveys, and participants attended an in-person intervention to determine how to apply self-management tactics to their own personal …

An Extension Of A Break-To-Choice Intervention With Isolated Contingency Tests For Children With Multiply Maintained Challenging Behavior, Mckenna E. Herbek

Theses & Dissertations

Research on functional communication training has shown it to be a highly effective treatment for socially maintained challenging behavior. Challenging behavior multiply maintained by social variables is often addressed with isolated treatments for each function. While this approach has been shown to be efficacious, it may be more time-consuming and less efficient. A more efficient option may be to synthesize the isolated treatments. One such approach, break-to-choice, utilizes a chained schedule of reinforcement that allows the individual to request a break, followed by the selection (choice) of a functional reinforcer to consume. Although this procedure has been shown to be …

Behavior Analysts’ Training And Practices Regarding Cultural Diversity: A Replication And Extension, Tania M. Valdez-Nuguid

Theses & Dissertations

Culturally responsive care, which involves adapting assessment and treatment methods to reflect the culture of individuals served (Sue & Torino, 2005), is crucial for client success, especially for minoritized and marginalized groups. This study replicated and extended Beaulieu et al. (2019) by surveying behavior analysts on their training, perceived competence, and practices in culturally responsive care. We extended Beaulieu et al. (2019) by including open-ended questions regarding culturally responsive practices and barriers faced in delivering culturally responsive care and offering the survey in Spanish. Participants reported feeling skilled and comfortable providing culturally responsive care, with increased training across various modalities. …

A Comparison Of Resurgence Following Dra And Dro, Alysa Georgopoulos

Theses & Dissertations

Resurgence, a form of behavioral relapse, occurs when a previously reduced target behavior reemerges after an alternative source of reinforcement is discontinued. Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) and differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) are commonly used strategies to reduce undesired behaviors. Although both are effective, unanticipated periods of extinction (e.g., service lapses or staff turnover) may lead to resurgence of the original target behavior. Romano and St. Peter (2017) found that behavior reduced via DRO was more prone to resurgence than behavior reduced via DRA. However, their study used a different number of response options between conditions (one …

The Impact Of Teaching Multiple Responses On Resurgence Of Target Behavior And Persistence Of Alternative Responding, Brittany H. Loder-Lafferty

Theses & Dissertations

This study evaluated the effects of teaching multiple alternative responses on the resurgence of a target response and the persistence of an alternative response in an applied setting. Using a between-participants group design, we examined how teaching multiple alternative responses impacted resurgence and persistence upon exposure to extinction. Additionally, we investigated the role of preference in response allocation and shifts in preference following extinction. Results indicated resurgence across both conditions, with no consistent difference in severity between single and multiple alternative responses. However, within session analysis revealed greater persistence of the alternative response for participants taught multiple responses, suggesting potential …

Facilitating Design Of Effective, Scalable Digital Mental Health Care, Himanshu Mahesh Patil

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

This thesis tackles the challenges of designing effective, scalable digital mental health care solutions by integrating psychological research with human-computer interaction (HCI) principles. An exploration of self-care technologies (SCTs) for mental health is conducted to highlight challenges to comparative analysis, like fragmented research outcomes. Two research questions are posed to investigate how mental health interventions can be designed to be effective and overcome practical challenges to implementation. A theoretical framework in clinical psychology is adapted to bridge the gap between psychology and HCI. A methodology for conducting standardized, structured comparative analysis of mental health interventions is identified. The identified method …

Childhood Experiences Of Care, Emotional Abuse And Self-Esteem Among University Students, Shaymaa Riyadh Harbi, Yousef Jamal

Effat Undergraduate Research Journal

Childhood abuse is a global issue with deep-rooted consequences. In addition, childhood abuse causes stress associated with early mental health interruption. Child abuse also causes children to suffer and can lead to long-term outcomes such as low self-esteem in their teenage years. Thus, this work has examined the relationship between childhood experience and self-esteem. The sample population of this work was comprised of public and private university students from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The sample size of this work was 155 students. Data collection was done using self-administered questionnaire. In addition, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) and Family Relationship in Childhood Questionnaire …

Transforming Criminal Justice Leadership With A Servant-Oriented Trauma-Informed Approach, Janina Cich

Forensic Scholars Today

This paper explores the transformative potential of a criminal justice leadership model by integrating principles of servant leadership, emotional intelligence, and trauma-informed care, focusing on rebuilding community trust, improving officer well-being, and fostering equitable, empathetic public service. This transformative module emphasizes humility, accountability, and emotional awareness to address the deep-rooted effects of trauma on both criminal justice personnel and the communities they serve. Through proactive strategies, such as open communication, cultural competence training, and mental health support, future leaders can cultivate resilient, community-focused agencies prioritizing healing, justice, and human dignity.

Perceptions Of Power And Consent: The Role Gender, Race, And Sexual Orientation In Shaping Public Perceptions Of Student-Teacher Affairs, India Campbell

Poster Presentations

Sexual violence is a taboo topic. It is especially challenging to acknowledge child victims. Sexual violence in schools is particularly hard to acknowledge. No parent wants to consider the possibility of sending their child to a predator every day. This phenoma has been researched for decades from various angles. This project will contribute to the research that looks at the ways race, gender, and sexual orientation influence perception of victimhood.

The Mighty C: A Fractal Model For Modern Creativity, Joe Todaro

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

The persistent ambiguity surrounding the definition of creativity has hindered its advancement across academic, educational, and professional settings. In response, this paper proposes an updated framework—The Mighty C—which defines creativity as the intrinsic human activity of generating meaningful, novel, and useful outcomes through deliberate process. This model addresses critical gaps in conventional definitions, particularly the frequent omission of meaningfulness, intentionality, and the uniquely human nature of creativity. It further emphasizes the recursive nature of these aspects across different levels of creative activity, represented through the structure of fractals. Drawing from scholarly models such as Rhodes’ 4Ps and Kaufman and Beghetto’s …

Surviving Their Stripes: Quality Of Life And Coping For Individuals With Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Julianna L. Breazeale

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Hypermobile type Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) is a subtype of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a genetic connective tissue disorder with complexities involving joint hypermobility, tissue fragility and severe pain. Patients with hEDS often experience misdiagnosis, medical dismissal and years of waiting for a diagnosis. This study aims to evaluate the quality of life and diagnostic journey for patients living with hEDS. Qualitative, cross-sectional and semi-structured interviews were conducted in this study using a descriptive, phenomenological methodological approach. The specific phenomenon is the experience of the hEDS diagnosis and how that diagnosis further impacts patient life. The two primary research questions that we aimed …

The Effectiveness Of Combined Approach Intervention And Group Social Skills Intervention For School Aged Children With Asd, Cecilia Ester Subroto

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder which ranges from low to severe functioning levels, communication is one of its deficits coming from the disorder. As many individuals get diagnosed at a young age, they may have difficulties with their social skills. If interventions are personalized to meet the unique needs of everyone, there can be an increase in their social skills level. Objective: This evaluative study will aim to determine combined approach intervention or group social skills intervention is more effective for enhancing the social skills of school-aged children with ASD. Method: This research proposal …

Cultural Of Authenticity And Commodification: Analyzing The Aesthetic Waves And Collective Culture In The 2010s And 2020s, Stefanny Leung Yu

Student Theses

The “authentic self” is curated, aestheticized, and most notably, commodified. Digital algorithms, likes, views, and engagement are more than just digital metrics, they are the management of performance. For millions of other users — including the author herself — social media is the locus of personal expression. Most notably, sites like Tumblr, where users in the 2010s posted hazy images or overly filtered graphics along with melancholic song lyrics that match the vibe of the moment, expression was earnest and idealized. Today, social media in the 2020s, new creators like Hannah Neelaman, better known as Ballerina Farm, dress in pastoral …

A Systematic Literature Review Of Behavior Analysis In Psychiatric Inpatient Settings, Stephanie Henry, Robbie Hanson

Theses

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) may be best known for the treatment of individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities, such as those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, ABA also has a long history of effective outcomes with other populations, such as with individuals who are admitted to inpatient psychiatric facilities (Dougher, 2004; Harvey et al., 2009). In 2018, 187,877 individuals in the United States were reported as receiving treatment for mental health disorders (Lutterman, 2022). Given behavior analysis’ success implementing operant procedures with these populations, an updated review of the literature on the use of behavior analysis within these settings …